Hi Friends,
Have the holidays proven to be a bit much? Use conscious, long, deep breathing to regulate yourself! I’m happy to assist you with simple pranayam (breath) practices to get you back on track.

Our breath, and the nature of how we breathe, is important, affecting our physical, mental and emotional health. Our breath is both gross and subtle. The gross aspect blends oxygen, nitrogen and other elements we’re more familiar with, and the subtle aspect is the “prana” or life force that energizes the mind, body and consciousness.

When you’re feeling out of sorts, pause for a moment and notice what’s happening with your breath, and your abdomen, as you breathe? Do you notice your abdomen moving? It’s not uncommon that your breath may be shallow and quick, with the upper chest moving slightly and the abdomen barely at all. Ahhh to breathe like a baby again! It’s all in the belly. In correct naturaly breathing, the abdomen moves, out on the inhale and in and up on the exhale. We use the inhale to make ourselves wider, and the exhale to make ourselves longer.

Did you know that the average human breathes around 16-20 breaths a minute? That’s less than 2 seconds on the inhale and 2 seconds on the exhale. When we’re stressed, our breath may be even quicker and shallower. We’re cut off from our vitality.

Classic “Long Deep Breath”
To correct shallow breathing, which often accompanies stress.
– Inhale in 4 smooth beats / seconds, through the nostrils, beginning with the navel (belly), then expanding your lower chest and finally your upper chest
– Exhale in reverse, in 4 beats / seconds through the nostrils, pulling in on the navel at the end of the exhalation
– For each part, you can silently add the mantra “Saa Taa Naa Maa”, one beat per second, for more juice with sound syllables that connect you to your inner truth or authenticity
– Start with 3 minutes, and build to 11 minutes if you wish
Note that your breath rate in this practice will be twice as slow as your average breath, which clears the head and induces a state of calmness.

“Sitali” Breath
To “cool down” both physically and emotionally when upset.
– Extend the tongue through the lips, roll the tongue, and inhale through the open mouth to the back of the throat
– If you can’t roll the tongue (like 1/3 of the population), don’t worry about it! Just extend your tongue between your lips and draw the air over the roof of your tongue to the back of the throat
– On the exhale, draw the tongue back in the mouth and exhale through the nose
– Breath to a count of 4 beats / seconds on the inhale, and the same on the exhale
– Start with 3 minutes and build to 11 minutes if you wish
Feel more chill!

If you’d like further work on regulating yourself, getting unstuck, or taking life in a new direction, sign up for a free discovery call today. I’d love to connect with you!

Humbly,
Nirmal Singh